


Chasing Ghosts

by AlexiaNite



Category: Naruto
Genre: ANBU Anko, BAMF Anko, F/M, Future KakaIru, M/M, Mentions of T&I interrogation training, Mentions of past Genma/Anko, Mentions of past Kakashi/Anko, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2019-11-16 11:58:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18093872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaNite/pseuds/AlexiaNite
Summary: Anko has been hunting Orochimaru for years, but has never been able to stop him. Now Cat, an ANBU, is offering her a chance to work with the best to finally take him down. How could she possibly say no to this opportunity? She has never wanted anything more, except Cat turns out to be more of a distraction than she expected. Can she make it as an ANBU or will Orochimaru slip through her fingers once more?





	1. Tea Time and Dango

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame Aryagraceling for always encouraging rare pairs. This was *supposed* to be a one shot...it ended up as a multi chapter fic. I hope you enjoy.

Anko tossed back another shot, enjoying the burn at the back of her throat. Maybe if she got drunk enough she could forget the mission, forget the horrors. "Wasn't expecting to see you here."

She swore mentally as Genma sat on the stool next to her. She had deliberately gone to a bar that was usually only full of retired shinobi, not wanting to run into anyone she knew. She did not have it in her to deal with Genma tonight. "There was a reason for that." She pushed herself up, off the stool. Any other night she'd be going home with him. 

"Anko-" He reached out to grab her arm, but she stepped out of his reach.

"Fuck off, Genma." Anko glared at him, throwing down money to cover her drinks. He was smart enough to keep his mouth shut as she headed for the door.

The cold air outside did little to temper the rage growing inside her. It wasn't Genma's fault. He had just caught her at a bad time. She took to the roof tops, intending to head home, but instead she ended up at the training grounds. It was probably for the best because the last time she had gone home like this she had broken half her plates in anger. Instead, she took her fury out on an innocent tree, her fists easily cracking the bark. She punched the tree over and over until the trunk couldn't take the abuse anymore. The cracking was thunderous as the tree toppled over. 

Anko was shaking uncontrollably in the silence that followed. It took her a moment to register the blood dripping from her hands. She fished out some gauze and bandaged them as well as she could before heading home. The weight of the previous mission wore heavy on her as she took her time going back to her apartment, alone. 

She was ready for the night to be over, ready for her bed, so she almost missed the slight moment in her living room. The kunai left her hand before she could even process who it was, thrown on pure instinct. The ANBU moved from the shadows, easily dodging. "Is that how you great a guest?"

She made a sound of disgust, rolling her eyes. "Guests don't break in, asshole. What the fuck do you want, Hound?"

He tracked her movement across the room, taking note of her injuries. "Heard you were having a rough night. Thought you could use a friend."

"More like I told Genma to fuck off, much like I'm about to tell you as well, and he ran to you tattle. Tell him to grow up." Her eyes flashed with renewed anger as she stalked to her bathroom to deal with her injured hands.

Hound followed, from what he deemed to be a safe distance. "He has a right to be concerned." He watched her wince as she unwrapped her hands and poured antiseptic over them. "I'm concerned as well."

She whipped around at his comment throwing him a look of pure rage. "You lost the right to be concerned, Kakashi. You ended things, not me. And Genma is a fuck buddy at best and now probably not even that. Traitorous asshole." She mumbled the last part under her breath. 

He reached out and grabbed her shoulders. "I am still your friend. I didn't lose the right to care about you, especially since you seemed determined to take every mission that might be related to Orochimaru." He wanted to shake some sense into her, tell her to stop chasing ghosts, but he was the last person that should be giving that advice to anyone.

"You will never understand. You didn't when we were fucking and you certainly don't now." Anko shoved him away, pushing past him to escape the confines of her small bathroom. "You don't corner the market on hurt and angst!" When he had broken up with her it had been under the guise of trying to spare her, telling her he was too broken to be with anyone. A year later it still stung. 

Kakashi ground his teeth, trying not to yell back at her. "I'm not saying you don't get to feel how you feel. I'm just saying you are running yourself into the ground chasing after him and that I do fucking understand. Now, let me look at your hands." She almost growled at his demand. She should throw him out of her house, tell him to fuck off. Instead, she held her hands up so he could look at them, huffing. "You have splinters in the wounds."

Kakashi led her back into the bathroom and rummaged through her medicine cabinet for tweezers. They didn't speak as he slowly examined them, carefully extracting the small slivers of wood. When he was done, he bandaged them up for her. She mumbled her thanks. The ANBU sighed as he watched her leave the room. "I'm sorry I was an asshole." She told him when he joined her in the living room. 

"Anko, you need to talk to someone, even if it's not me." He sat down next to her on the couch. She had curled up on the other half, half burying herself in blankets.

"I know..." She knew he was right, the bastard. Chasing Orochimaru was killing her, but she wanted answers, answers only he could give her. "Can you stay?" They may not be lovers anymore, but he was one of her closest friends and she didn’t want to be alone. 

"For a bit."

***

Anko didn't remember falling asleep, but she was surprised to find Kakashi was still there when she woke up. It took her a moment to realize the ANBU at the other end of her couch was not Wolf, noticing his mask looked more like a cat. Heart pounding, she slowly inched her hand towards a weapons pouch that was hidden in the cushion. "Wolf asked me to come." He said, softly.

Her hand closed around the weapons pouch. "Why the hell did he do that?"

"Because I was one of Orochimaru's experiments." This made her hesitate. "You were his student." He said it so matter of factly that it made her wonder what else he knew about her.

"I was." She slowly sat up. "And you?" All the others who had been given the curse mark when she got hers had died, but she knew there were other children, other experiments.

The ANBU started forming hand signs, making her tense up and ready for an attack, but all he did was make a chair...out of wood. "Holy fuck!" Orochimaru had been obsessed with the first Hokage and the Wood Release in particular. She stared at the chair, trying to gather her thoughts. She didn't know of any other children who had survived, but it made sense that it would be kept quiet. She carefully crawled over her blankets, stopping next to the ANBU. 

Anko reached up to touch his mask, but he grabbed her wrist before she could. "Who are you?"

He looked away from her. "No one. Orochimaru took away who I was. But you can call me, Cat." He released the hold he had on her.

She sat back, openly staring at him. She had told Kakashi he didn't understand how she felt, so he sent Cat? "How long has Kakashi known you?" 

"Years." How could he have kept this from her? They dated for months and had been friends for so long and he knew about Cat all along?! The rage from earlier rose up and with it came an aura of killing intent. Cat reached out to her, hesitating. "He wanted to tell you, but the Hokage forbid it. He finally relented."

The air went out of her at his comment. For years the third Hokage had told her that what Orochimaru had done was not her fault, but she had pushed him away. She had to find answers, had to bring him to justice. The entire time he had also known there was someone who would understand her. After her last debriefing, he had told her he wanted her to slow down. Why did he chose now to finally say yes, if Cat was to be believed.

The tears fell without warning, so many years of pent up anger and hurt finally spilling out. She sobbing into her hands, trying to hide from the man sitting next to her. He was a stranger and was currently seeing her at her worst. She didn't expect him to gently pull her until his arms. The kind act made her cry harder, tears spilling over her hands, falling on to his armor.

Cat let her cry it out, never once pulling away from her pain. She was used to it making people uncomfortable, but he seemed to just roll with it. Then again, she couldn't see his face. Eventually, she cried herself out, the sobs softening to sniffles. "Would you like some tea?" Anko asked him softly. "I can drink mine in the other room, so you can have some. Making tea helps calm me down." She trailed off a bit, realizing that she was rambling. 

"I would love some tea." He said gently and she could almost hear him smiling. 

She slid off the couch and headed into the kitchen. To be honest, tea ceremonies were one of her favorite things, but she so rarely got to do them, so she settled for forcing tea on all of her friends. Most of them indulged her. She may not be able to always do elaborate tea ceremonies, but she knew how to put together a lovely tray of tea and sweets. She fell into a rhythm as the water boiled, pulling down one of her nicer tea cup sets. She let herself get lost in the preparation, humming softly to herself as she moved around the small kitchen. She nearly jumped when she turned around and Cat was close behind her. "Kami! You're as bad as Kakashi. I'm going to put a damn bell on both of you."

He shuffled awkwardly. "S-sorry. I'm used to being around other ANBU." Anko could imagine the bashful look that was probably on his face just then. "I was just enjoying watching you...I mean, that not how I mean that. I meant watching you make tea. You really seem to enjoy it." 

Anko smirked at him, sensing weakness. "Oh, I know what you meant." She made sure every word sounded utterly suggestive. She watched as Cat's ears turned pink. A blushing ANBU. It was just too much fun messing with him. 

"Anko-san!" It was the first time he had called her by name. "I didn't mean any offense."

"No offense was taken, Cat-kun." She smiled at him as she moved to take the whistling kettle off the heat. "Tea will be ready shortly." She made sure to brush against him as she carried the tray with the tea cups and snacks on it to the table. She was sure his ears were bright red again, but she focused on pouring water into the tea cups. 

Cat was quiet as he watched her. He was definitely different from Kakashi. That bastard had a smartass come back for everything she said to him, but Cat...Cat was sweet and probably wasn't used to someone like her, with her smart mouth and seductive nature. She ate men like him for breakfast, ANBU or not. 

"Is that dango?" He finally asked, pointing at the tray.

"Yes, is that a problem? I made it myself."

"I've never had dango before. I know Wolf has it sometimes..." He paused when he saw the intense look Anko was giving him. "W-what?"

She carefully pushed the tray closer to him. "I am going to close my eyes and you are going to eat that dango because it is a wonderful, perfect food and you need to know how wonderful it is." Cat stared at her, trying to figure out if she was being serious, which it turned out she was because she firmly closed her eyes. "I don't hear any dango eating going on."

He laughed at her teasing tone as he slipped his mask off. He carefully picked up the treat, sniffing it before taking a bit. "It's good." He told Anko, who was patiently waiting for his response. "Really good." He finished it off, dropping the stick back on to the plate. "And you can open your eyes."

Anko was gleeful that he had enjoyed it. "I know every good dango place in Konoha and I will take you to al-" She opened her eyes and realized him mask wasn't on. "Ack! Cat! You said it was safe." She quickly looked away.

"The Hokage gave permission for you to know who I am. That's partly why it took so long for us to meet. Due to the nature of my ability, it's kind of hard to hide who I am. It's like how everyone knows Kakashi is in ANBU without him saying a word. The chidori is pretty distinctive."

She opened her eyes, glaring at him. "This whole time we could have been talking without the stupid mask and here I am closing my eyes so you can have my dango?!"

He gave her an awkward smile. "Sorry. The Hokage said it was up to me to make the decision. Kakashi vouched for you, but I wanted to meet you first."

Anko's glare softened. "It's okay. I get it. At least we can have our tea together." She sat down at the table and gestured for him to join her. Now that she wasn't in shock from him being mask-less, she got to get a good look at him. He was cute, in a lost puppy sort of a way, exactly as she'd pegged him. He was not as handsome like Kakashi, but he had kind eyes and a nice smile. "So now you've seen me as a sobbing mess, so tell me something embarrassing about you. It's only fair."

"I don't know about that." He joined her at the small table, carefully taking one of the cups of tea she had made. "Anko-san, I'm here because senpai is worried an-"

"Senpai? Please say you aren't talking about Kakashi." She snorted at the look that crossed his face. "Oh, Kami, that's great. Senpai Kakashi." She shook her head, still laughing. "Listen Cat, I appreciate that you feel like you have to help because Kakashi asked, and you are a nice person, but I'm fine. It was just a bad mission."

"I'm not just here because of Kakashi-senpai. The Hokage asked me to come." Anko nearly dropped her cup at his declaration. "He thought I coul-"

"Get out." She said, cutting him off again. "I appreciate you stopping by and letting me cry on you, but I don't need your help or your pity. As one fucked up Orochimaru experiment to another, I know what I am doing even if no one else can see that." She stood up suddenly, almost knocking her chair over.

Cat was on his feet before she managed to escape the room. "You don't underst-"

"No, you don't understand!" Anko whipped around to face him. "I just came back from a nightmare of Orochimaru's making and I am fucking exhausted. And what do I wake up to? Some hunky ANBU who thinks I need saving! Spoiler alert, I don't! I need for everyone to stop getting in my way so I can take that asshole down, so we can stop finding dead children he's left in his wake." She was almost panting with rage when she finished her rant.

Cat stared down at her for a long time. "Hunky, huh?"

Anko made a noise of pure frustration as she went to leave the room again. "All of that and THAT is what you fixate on. MEN!" She angrily shouted as she went back to the living room and flopped onto the couch.

The ANBU sighed and followed after her. "Can I please just explain why I am here without before you yell at me some more?" Anko gestured for him to continue. "Kakashi was worried, but I'm also here because the Hokage asked me to be here. There is an ANBI team dedicated to finding Orochimaru. Their team leader is away on a mission, so the Hokage sent me instead."

"Sent you for what?" She didn't even try to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"You know you don't have to be a jounin to become an ANBU, right?"

"Yes. And?" Anko's eye widened as she got what Cat was trying to tell her. "Oh fuck me. You came here to evaluate me for ANBU?" She groaned when he nodded. "In the last half hour I have cried on you, made you tea, and then shouted at you. Fuck me...."

Cat tried to hide his smile. "To be fair you did well considering the events of your last mission and waking up to a strange man sitting on your couch."

She wanted to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment. She settled for wrapping a blanket around herself. "Be honest. How badly did I mess this up?"

"If it had been anyone else, badly. But I get it, the need to find him, to find answers. Wolf is the one who recommended you for this team and I agree with him." He gave her a hard look. "ANBU training is grueling, mentally and physically. We can recommend you all day long, but if you break there won't be a second chance."

"I can handle it." Tonight had not been a stellar example of that, but she knew she could do this. Orochimaru had chosen her for a reason, after all. 

Cat nodded silently and went to retrieve his mask from her kitchen. He would give his approval to the Hokage for her to move forward. Anko watched him move towards her window. "I have a door, you know. Don't let Kakashi teach you bad habits." He just laughed at her comment. "Wait! Do I get an actual name? Unless you prefer, Cat-kun?"

He smiled under his mask. "Tenzo." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> My Alexia Nite tumblr: [Lex](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexianite)  
> My art tumblr: [Art](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/adirtymartinisgalaxyart)


	2. Chapter 2

Anko had reached the dry heaving stage of the day. Grueling didn’t even begin to cover how hard ANBU training was. Training with T&I had to be easier than the physical training. Her body had never been pushed this hard before, but she refused to give up. Anko Mitarashi was not a quitter, no matter how many times she threw up after her daily training. To be fair, she was lasting much longer against shinobi that would have destroyed her just a few months ago.

Bear let her finish before handing her some water. “Any time you’re ready to quit, Viper, we can call it.”

“Fuck you, Bear.” She may have some of her own stomach fluids on her sandals and felt like she was dying, but he would not get her to quit. She took the offered water, drinking it slowly. She had learned that chugging it often made her throw it back up almost immediately. “I’m going to put your ass down.” The other ANBU chuckled at her weak threat. Oh, she was going to make him back for laughing at her.

Two hours later, she found herself on her back for the hundredth time that day. Her chakra levels were basically nonexistent at the moment, but it was all worth it because Bear was just as bad off as she was. The man was bleeding from several wounds and was nursing his right arm that one of her snakes had left a nasty bite on. He was lucky it hadn’t been one of the poisonous ones.

She barely moved when another ANBU dropped down next to her. “You doing alright down there, Viper? You going to live?”

“Fuck you, Cat-kun. I’ll show you how lively I can be.” Anko managed to roll over onto her side and push herself up. Tenzo settled down next to her. “See? I can still move, which means I can keep going.”

“I never doubted you, Viper. Fox has had nothing but good things to say about you.” Fox was the team leader of the ANBU unit assigned to Orochimaru. He’d been given her shit since day one, riding her hard to see if she would break.

Anko snorted at his comment. “Really? Because all he does is sass me, the asshole. What are you doing here, Cat? You don’t normally slum it with the recruits.” The only people in ANBU she was used to seeing were other newbies like herself and the trainers.

“I hear you go in this week for your month-long training with T&I. I just wanted to check in with you.” Anko was touched that Tenzo cared enough to check on her. Besides the intense physical training at the beginning of ANBU training, there was also interrogation training. Once they were sure you were mentally stable, the next step was a month-long training. A month in Ibiki’s tender care was not her idea of a good time, but if it meant she got to take down Orochimaru, then she was all for it.

“I give it a week before Ibiki breaks down and sends me away because I’m too mouthy,” Anko joked. The thought of interrogation training had really been weighing on her. Would she break? Could she tough it out?

“You’ll do fine, Anko.” Tenzo’s voice was low, so only she could hear him. “Just remember that everyone breaks. Their goal is to break you, to see where you can improve. Don’t beat yourself up for breaking. It’s part of the process.”

Anko took a moment to consider his comment. Fox had told her enough about the process to get the gist of what was coming. T&I’s job was to take her apart mentally, try to prepare her for being captured. Every promotion came with more intensive interrogation training. She could only imagine how awful the next month was going to be, but was trying not to fret too much about it. She had to push through it no matter what. “I know you give you three weeks to decompress after the training. You need at least four people you trust so they know who they can contact for you during that time. I put you on my list. I hope that’s alright.”

“Really?” Tenzo sounded a bit shocked, but it was hard to tell with his mask in place. “Of course I’ll be there if you need me. That downtime can be absolute hell.”

Anko looked away, glad her own mask hid the happy grin that was plastered across her face. She wasn't sure how Tenzo would react when she told him, deep down worrying that he'd refuse. "I really appreciate it."

"Stop flirting with Cat and get your ass back in gear," Bear called across the training ground. Anko managed to lift her arm at flip him off, which just made him laugh.

She pushed herself to her feet with a groan. At this rate, she wasn't going to make it to the interrogation training. "See you around, Cat."

"Take care of yourself, Viper." He called after her as she made her way over to Bear for another ass-kicking. 

*** 

 

Anko's throat was raw from screaming. Physically, she was fine. Not a mark on her body, but her mind...that was a whole other story. Simulated physical torture was the worse thing she'd ever been through. Every day was like agony as Ibiki and a Yamanaka she'd never met before took her apart. Tenzo had been right. She broke over and over again. If she never had someone crawling around her mind again, it would be too soon. She'd spend her first day home in bed, too worn out to do anything other than sleep. Though sleeping did little for her. They had warned her about the nightmares, but that didn't make waking up shrieking any easier. 

She broke down the morning of the second day home. She had been tired and knocked her teacup off the counter. She had shattered as much as the cup had, sinking to the floor in a sobbing mess. She didn't know how long she sat there, crying over her cup before a soft knock on the kitchen window managed to draw her out of the downward spiral. She stared at the window for a moment before it slid open. Cat carefully crawled through, dropping down onto the floor. Tenzo removed his ANBU mask, face full of concern. "Hey, Anko. How are you holding up?"

She didn't know why, but his kind tone made her burst into tears. "I broke my cup," she sobbed, "and I don't know why I'm crying. It's just a cup." Tenzo moved, crouching down next to her. "Did the ANBU watching me contact you? Did he see me sobbing about a fucking cup for like twenty minutes? How am I going to stop Orochimaru like this? How am I going to make him pay?" 

"Shh, Anko-san. It's okay. I've got you." He gently pulled her into his arms. "No one contacted me. I was just worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were alright. I tried knocking on the door and was concerned when you didn't answer." Anko let herself be rocked, be comforted by him. 

"I didn't hear you. I'm sorry I'm such a fucking mess, Tenzo-san. I'm just so tired, but every time I close my eyes I dream I'm still in T&I. I can feel them torturing me, hurting me. I broke...I broke so much. I know they are going to throw me out of ANBU once they realize how weak I am." What was even the point of going back once her required time off was over? She knew they would tell her she wouldn’t be finishing her ANBU training.

Tenzo tightened his hold on her. “That isn’t true, Anko. If you had failed, they would have told you then. They wouldn’t put you through the full month of training. I know the nightmares are hard, but you look like you’re ready to fall over. If I stay, will you try getting more sleep?”

Anko wanted to believe him, but it was hard to see that right at this moment. Right now, it felt like she’d been wasting her time getting her hopes up that she’d get to go after Orochimaru. She nodded weakly, struggling to her feet. Tenzo was right about her needing sleep. Maybe him being there would be enough to help her get at least a few hours of rest. Crying like that had really taken it out of her. 

She felt like she was dead on her feet as she collapsed onto her bed. Tenzo has followed behind her, silent as ever. He hesitated for a moment, looking uncertain where he should go. “Sorry. The bed is the only place to sit.”

“It’s alright,” he told her as he sat on the bed next to her. “Just get some rest.”

Anko buried her face in her pillow, glad he was staying. She would rather have him there than Kakashi, who was also on her contact list. There was just too much history between the two of them. Tenzo was sweet and much less complicated. Her mind was circling around the man as she finally fell back asleep. She tossed and turned a lot, but the worst of the nightmares didn’t come. 

When she woke, she saw that Tenzo has dozed off at some point. He was slumped over, pressed against her headboard. She smiled as she watched him for a moment. She hadn’t actually expected him to stay the entire time she slept, but she was grateful to have him there. She hadn’t expected to feel such an instant connection to him when they first met, but she felt like she’d known him for years. Maybe it was the fact they had both escaped from Orochimaru. 

He’d been right about her needed rest. She did feel better now, less on edge. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Tenzo was awake in an instant at the movement. “Sorry to wake you from your cat nap.”

“Haha. You’re as bad as Kakashi-senpai,” he grumbled as he stretched. “I shouldn’t have slept sitting up like that.”

“Yeah, next time come snuggle me.” She winked at him, then slid out of bed.

Tenzo snorted at her. “I see you’re feeling well enough to sass me. Can I tempt you with some food? Dango perhaps?”

Anko perked up at the mention of dango. “Oh Tenzo-kun, you know just what to say to me. Let me change and I’ll let you treat me to some delicious food.” He rolled his eyes at the kun she insisted on adding after his name when she was teasing him.

-

Anko still didn’t feel a hundred percent better, but getting out of her apartment with Tenzo helped. She was trying not to think about what would happen when she went back to ANBU training. The last month had been awful, but it just strengthened her resolve to push through it. “You have such a serious look on your face. I didn’t think it was possible for you to look like that.” Tenzo dropped his dango stick onto the plate.

She shrugged. “Just thinking about getting back to training.” She wouldn’t be able to go on missions until Fox said so. She needed to convince him she was ready to fight Orochimaru.

“Anko-san, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way…” Tenzo hesitated, trying to gauge her reaction. “You have made a lot of progress over the last few months. You will be fit for missions in no time, but there’s more to life than finding Orochimaru.”

Anko clenched her fist, but didn’t speak immediately. One, they were out in public. Causing a scene was not high on her list of things she wanted to do that day. Two, it was Tenzo. They were still basically strangers, but he was the only other one who understood how she felt. “Look, I’m sure Kakashi has told you about what happened between us. I appreciate the concern, but it’s my choice.” Orochimaru had been something they fought about frequently. Kakashi wanted her to give up pursuing the man, but Anko refused. She wanted to be rid of the curse mark on her neck. 

“I understand hating him.” Tenzo turned to look out the window. “I will never know who I am because of him. Do I have a family out there missing me?” He sighed. “I can only move forward from here. I won’t stand in your way, Anko-san. Just know that you aren’t alone in this.”

She stared down at her plate of dango and for once had no desire to eat it. She knew he meant well, but she was sick of people telling her what to do. It had been one of the many reasons her and Kakashi hadn’t worked out. She didn’t want it to sour her budding friendship with Tenzo. “This is how I choose to move forward, Tenzo-san.”

“Then, I’ll help you where I can.”

*** 

Anko was drunk, drunker than she had been in a while, but it was a welcome break from all the hard work of the last few months. She needed to cut loose before she went back to the nonstop ass kicking of ANBU training. She'd had a bit more to drink than she’d originally intended. It didn’t help that Genma had shown up halfway through the night and started buying her shots. He was trying to buy her forgiveness for having ratted her out to Kakashi. 

Tenzo had been called away a few days before on an urgent missing. She'd spent the better part of two weeks with him constantly by her side. Now that he was gone, she was missing him terribly. Not that she'd ever admit it. 

Genma was a good distraction, but not the one she wanted. She had realized by day five that her playful flirting had turned into actual flirting. As Genma kissed his way down her throat, she felt guilty as she thought about a different brunette. She gently pushed the man away. "I can't do this, Gen."

He gave her a confused look but stopped what he was doing. "Hey, no pressure ever. You know that. Is everything okay with you? With training?"

Technically, he wasn't supposed to know about that, but it wasn't like her friends wouldn't figure it out. Kakashi being an ANBU was the worst kept secrets in the village, so she didn't feel bad being honest with those close to her. "It's fine. Shitty and harder than you can imagine, but it'll be worth it. The training isn't the issue." She shakily poured herself another drink.

"Oh, you caught feels for someone. This is just like when you had the hots for Kakashi." Genma took the shot from her. "You will thank me tomorrow for stopping you."

Anko frowned at him. "Fuck you, Gen. It's not like that at all." Tenzo was nothing like Kakashi. He was sweet and loving, despite all the shit he'd been through. No matter how much she broke down in front of him, he never turned away. He never made her feel like she was too much. "Oh, fuck. I do have feels." Her stomach did a horrible flip as the realization hit her hard. She had fucking feelings for Tenzo. She was out of the booth in an instant, making a mad dash for the bathroom. She was getting really fucking tired of throwing up, but at least she was a pro at it by now. There was nothing quite like puking your guts out after realizing you have feelings for your ex-boyfriend's kohai. 

Genma had water waiting for her at the booth when she finally made her way back to him. "Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Fair enough. I think it's time we call it a night, yeah? Let me walk you home." Anko chugged the water, which probably wasn't a good idea, but at least if she puked again there would be something in her stomach. Genma was a good friend and she didn't give him enough credit. He was a good man and deserved a better friend than her. “Try to take it easy, Anko. Don’t think about these drunken feelings too much.”

“Thanks, Gen. I will be your wing-woman next time you need one.” The least she could do was vouch for him. “I am gonna go put my ass to bed and not think about cute brunettes.”

“Aww, thanks.”

“Him, not you.” She laughed when Genma flipped her off. It took a few times to get her key into the lock, but he waited to make sure she got inside safely. Truly, a good man. Or maybe she was just drunk. She stumbled into the apartment and kicked the door closed behind her. Being alone was depressing and made her realize how much she truly did miss Tenzo. “Fuck me.” She had it bad for him and didn’t know what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter took a while to get out. I started my new job (training involves driving 2.5 hours a day), so updates will be sporadic for a while.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: [Lex](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexianite) or [Art](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/adirtymartinisgalaxyart)  
> Join our awesome Facebook group [Armada](https://www.facebook.com/groups/601270063618951/)  
> Also, I started posting an original story. Please check it out! [Exiting Eden](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18633511/chapters/44186227)


	3. Chapter 3

Anko struggled out of her shirt, letting it drop to the floor. Sober her could deal with it tomorrow. Right now she needed to faceplant into bed and sleep. She managed to kick her shoes off but lost the fight with her pants, so she left them on. She collapsed onto the bed, pressing her face into her pillow. She could be having great sex right now, but no, she had to go and catch feelings for Tenzo. She sighed heavily. "Go to sleep, brain," she grumbled. She didn't need to think about how cute Tenzo was when he smiled or how much she missed him. She made a small groan of despair as she rolled over. 

She closed her eyes, trying to think of anything other than him. Her mind drifted to Kakashi and that was not a better topic at all. Why did her relationships have to be so fucked up? She wasn't even upset about how things went with Kakashi anymore, just frustrated. They were good together, but neither of them was willing to budge so being more than friends would never work. Genma had always been an occasional thing, nothing more than friends with benefits. None of the others she'd dated over the years had lasted long enough to matter. Maybe she was just too damaged to love.

The soft sound of her window sliding open drew her out of her wallowing. Her hand instantly went to the kunai she stored under her pillow. She was rolling off of the bed as she let the kunai fly, dropping to the ground where she had more weapons stored. Her intruder must have deflected the kunai because she heard it drop to the ground after hitting something metallic. "Anko, stop! It's me."

Anko's hand froze as she reached for her poisoned darts. Who would be crawling through her window at this time of night? "Tenzo-kun?"

"Who else would it be?" She popped her head up to confirm it was in fact Tenzo sliding into her room. "This was the only window open. I was trying not to wake you. I see that failed miserably."

"You're not supposed to be here," she said as she struggled to her feet.

Tenzo took one look at her and started blushing furiously. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt? Are you drunk?"

If sober Anko was a shameless flirt, drunk Anko was even worse. "Maybe I am, Tenzo-kun. You're back sooner than I expected. Not that I'm sad about it." She stalked across the small room, hips swaying. "Most guys don't complain when they see me in just a bra."

"The mission was scrapped." He made sure to pointedly look away, face still bright red. How had her precious Tenzo survived in ANBU this long if the sight of a shirtless woman could make him react like this? "Let me get you something to put on."

"I have a better idea. Let me help you out of this." She had the zipper of his tactical vest halfway down before he gently grabbed her hands. 

"I think I can manage that alone, Anko-san."

"I want to help," she purred and pressed her face into the curve of his neck. He pulled back before she could kiss her way up to his jaw as she had intended. 

Tenzo's back hit the wall and he looked away from her. "Anko-san, please don't do anything you'd regret later. I...it's one thing when you tease me, but please don't do something you wouldn't want sober." Why did he sound so sad as he said it? Did he really think she thought so little of him that she'd toy with him? Did he really not realize how much she actually did want him?

"Tenzo, I have wanted this since we met." Her soft confession made him jerk his head up. He stared at her, mouth hanging open in surprise. "I'm really fucking bad at talking about how I feel, but you are the kindest, softest person I know."

"Softest?" There was a small smile on his face now.

"Shut up. You know what I meant. I just needed you to know, because I like you and would never want to hurt you. You looked so sad earlier. No sad Tenzo. Only happy Tenzo." Anko closed the small distance between them to poke him in his chest to emphasize her point.

"I think I can manage that. Now, how about we get you into bed?"

"Ooo, Tenzo-kun, I thought you'd never ask." She drunkenly giggled at him.

"Not like that!" He was back to blushing as he maneuvered her back to the bed. 

She flopped down, sprawling out across the blankets. "You're no fun at all. Can I at least get a kiss?"

"When you're sober. Maybe." Tenzo managed to get one of the blankets out from under her so he could cover her up. "Now sleep."

"Goodnight, Tenzo." It was odd, but now that he was back she felt more relaxed and ready to actually sleep.

"Night, Anko." She smiled into her pillow as he quietly shut the door behind him. He'd called her Anko. Just Anko. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside...or that could be all the alcohol she'd drank.

*** 

The night before came rushing back as Anko opened her eyes, as did the contents of her stomach. Luckily, she made it to the bathroom before she threw up. She grimaced as she grabbed her toothbrush. She should have stopped long before she had. Bless Genma for stopping her when he did. She felt awful, but she would have been a hungover mess if it weren't for him. She at least felt like she could function today. She scrubbed her tongue, trying to get the taste out of her mouth as she mulled over the Tenzo issue. Last night had not been her most graceful moment admitting she liked someone before, but he seemed interested.

Anko sighed as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Yeah, who wouldn't want a goddam mess like her? She would have felt better if Tenzo had slept with her. Then, she'd know where they stood, but he was a good man who would never take advantage of her when she was drunk. The problem with good men was that they tried to fix her and that never worked out for either of them. Give her an asshole any day of the week. They'd fuck for a while and she wouldn't feel bad when she dropped him when she got bored. Tenzo was too nice for her. She really shouldn't be pursuing anything with him, but there was just something about him. 

She finally worked up the courage to head out to the living room. Tenzo was curled up with the blankets she'd dragged out for him when he'd first started staying over. A grin spread across her face as she took in the sight of the deadly ANBU cuddling a pillow. He woke up the instant she fully stepped into the room. He looked like he could use more sleep, which made her feel a bit bad. He would have been more rested if he'd just gone home and slept in his own bed. Instead, he'd come to check on her. 

"Good morning," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

She didn't answer at first, just dropped down onto the couch next to him. "I'm sorry about last night," she said finally.

"Nothing to be sorry about, Anko-san."

"Except when I tried to undress you and then had the nerve to ask for a kiss." Anko stared down at her lap, feeling like an absolute asshole. 

Tenzo reached out and gently put his hand over hers. "You can still have it...if you want."

She jerked her head up to look at him. He was blushing and wouldn't look her fully in the eye. It was endearing and added to his awkward charm. She had only met him because she'd started down the path of becoming an ANBU to stop Orochimaru. Someone sweet and kind like Tenzo complicated things. It couldn't possibly end well. Even with all of that going through her mind, Anko still leaned towards him pressing a soft kiss against his cheek. He turned a lovely shade of red as she cupped his jaw, turning his head so she could kiss him properly.

Tenzo abruptly broke the kiss. "Dinner...I should take you to dinner. Like a date." He stumbled over his words, trying to get it out in a rush.

Anko couldn't help but laugh at how flustered he looked. "Tenz, you need some work on your flirting game." His face fell a bit so she patted his hand. "I'm not saying no to dinner. My answer is definitely yes, but you need to relax. You look like you're about to have a heart attack."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't have a lot of experience with dating..."

"You don't say," she said, chuckling. "Not a lot of time for dating being an ANBU most of your life." 

"Not exactly," he agreed. "I'm sorry if I'm bad at all of this. I wasn't sure before if you were teasing or actually liked me. I even asked..." He trailed off. "Well, I'm glad you said yes."

Anko arched an eyebrow, now curious. "Oh, Tenzo-kun, who exactly did you discuss this with?" She didn't know who his friends were outside of Kakashi. "Oh, please say it was Kakashi." His blush returned full force at the mention of Kakashi's name. "So let me get this straight. You asked my ex, and your senpai, for dating advice?"

"My options were kind of limited and he does know you really well."

"Carnally even."

"Anko!" It was so easy to fluster him and was quickly becoming her favorite thing.

"It's true though." Anko snorted at the look on his face. "And what did your wise senpai tell you?"

At first, she didn't think he would actually answer. So she was a bit surprised when he cleared his throat and decided to actually share. "He said you would appreciate me just being honest with you. You are a blunt person and hate it when people beat around the bush instead of telling you something. So this is me...being blunt...sort of. I guess?"

"Well, he's right. I do prefer people to be upfront with me. Look, I can't guarantee anything serious right now. We're both ANBU. Well, I'm almost ANBU, but the point still stands. I don't know how often we'll even get to see each other, but I do like you and want to see what could come of this." Even if it was a terrible decision.

"Of course, yes. Being in ANBU makes things more difficult, but I'm glad you're willing to give it a try." Who could ever say no to those big, puppy dog eyes? Tenzo looked so happy just because she said she'd give it a try. 

Anko kissed him on the cheek again. "We'll talk more over dinner. You should really get some more sleep. You can take the bed if you don't want to go home, but it won't be cute if you pass out halfway through the meal."

"I could use some more sleep..." Anko grabbed his hand and dragged him towards her bedroom. This was not the scenario she imagined when she thought of pulling the man into her room, but it would do for now. Maybe next time would involve something more fun than actual sleeping.

***

Anko's first mission as a newbie ANBU had been boring if she was being honest. Gathering intel was important for any ANBU team, but her team's goal was to take down Orochimaru, so information was vital. After three days of staking out a building, they found out the guy they'd been watching had nothing to the legendary Sannin. He turned out to see a small-time drug dealer. They shut his operation down and headed back to Konoha. She hadn't expected to be back home so soon, so she headed down to the mission's room after she changed to see her favorite chunin.

Except someone else seemed to have his attention. Kakashi was leaning over the table, pointing out something on a scroll. Iruka laughed, ducking his head. Anko froze, watching them from across the room. It was more or less dead in the room, but they were so absorbed in each other that they didn't notice her. She knew them both well enough to see the interaction for what it was...flirting. She turned on her heel and left the mission's room. 

She didn't have to wait long for Kakashi to come out of the room. He tensed up when he saw her but quickly dropped into his usual slouch. "Hey, Anko."

"Don't hey me, Hatake. Were you flirting with Iruka?" She crossed her arms over her chest, pinning him with a hard look.

He hesitated for a moment before he answered. "It's not what you think. I have no intention-"

"That isn't what I asked," she said, voice softening. "I didn't know you had a thing for Iruka."

"There's no 'thing', Anko. Just being friendly." Kakashi headed out, but Anko fell in next to him. "I'm not going to make moves on your best friend if that's what you're worried about."

Anko wanted to knock some sense into him, but she realized how this must look to him. "Listen, Kakashi...hit on Iruka. Ask him out. You're his type and he could use a good guy after Mizuki. I couldn't think of anyone I'd trust more with him except maybe Tenzo and he's taken."

Kakashi stopped so suddenly she almost ran into him. "What? You want me to date Iruka? And I wonder who Tenzo has taken up with?" Anko was glad she couldn't see the shit eating grin that was on his face. For once she was grateful for the mask.

"Listen, asshole. We didn't work out, but that doesn't mean I hate you. I think you'd be good for him. He needs to get laid and not by some asshole that is gonna dick him around. And yes, Tenzo and I are dating. Like you didn't fucking know."

He laughed at her. "I didn't actually. Every time I ask Tenzo he just blushes and stutters a lot. I haven't been able to get a straight answer out of him, but I'm glad he took my advice." He made a soft noise, a small happy laugh. "So Iruka...does he know about me? About us?"

"He knows of you, but not by name. He knew I was dating an ANBU for a while and it ended badly, but he doesn't know it was you." Anko wrapped her arms around herself. The nights were getting colder and she wasn't exactly dressed for being outside. "Were you really going to put aside how you felt because of me?"

"I guess." He shrugged. "I didn't want to put either of you in that awkward situation. I didn't know how to tell him that it would never happen because I was obviously enjoying flirting with him. I was starting to run out of excuses as to why I couldn't go get a drink with him. He probably thinks I hate him."

Anko snorted. "Oh, that man still wants you. I may have seen you two flirting earlier in the mission's room. Ru was in full flirt mode. He only does that for people he really likes."

"You seem to know a lot about his flirting habits."

"We may have hooked up a time or two when we were teens before he realized he was gay, like super gay." She chuckled at the memory or Iruka trying to let her down gently when she was 19. Unfortunately, he took up with Mizuki soon after that.

Kakashi shook his head at her. "That doesn't make this less awkward, Anko."

She laughed at his discomfort. "Well, get used to it because I plan on doing dirty things to your precious kohai. It's only fair that you get to bone my best friend."

"Full disclosure...I've slept with Tenzo." It was Anko's turn to stop walking abruptly. "You okay back there or are you now horrified?"

"Fuck no I'm not. I was picturing it." She grinned at him. Anko grabbed his arm, dragging it over her shoulders. It brought them very close together. It had been a long time since they'd been this intimate. "If I dish on Iruka, will you tell me all the glorious details on how to torment Tenzo?"

Kakashi threw his head back, laughing at her antics. "You are a fucking pervert, Anko. Buy me dinner and I'll tell you anything you want about my kohai."

She smiled as they walked together, enjoying their banter. Things had been so tense between them since they'd broken up. She missed having him as a friend. "How about you buy me dango and I'll tell you the way to Iruka's heart?"

"How about both?"

"Both is good," she agreed. She hoped this was the start of some healing on both their parts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you may have noticed that this is now marked as complete. When I started this I had some semblance of where I wanted the story to go, but that quickly derailed. I'm more or less at the point that I'm not sure where this is going anymore, so rather than drag it out aimlessly for several chapters I thought this was a good place to end it. I may revisit it one day and add more, but for now, I am putting this to bed. I hoped you enjoyed this. I love Anko/Tenzo, so I may write more shorts with them. Thank you so, so much for reading and commenting on this.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: [Lex](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexianite) or [Art](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/adirtymartinisgalaxyart)  
> Join our awesome Facebook group [Armada](https://www.facebook.com/groups/601270063618951/)  
> Also, I started posting an original story. Please check it out! [Exiting Eden](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18633511/chapters/44186227)


End file.
